Does An Apple A Day Really Keep The Doctor Away?

An old wives’ tale, an urban legend — call it what you will, but you’ve all heard them. Be it from your mom when you were ill, from your friends while sitting around a campfire, or from a story you’ve been told about an unbelievable hangover cure, they usually are just that — unbelievable. More often than not, these health myths are rooted in superstition, folklore or paranoia, and often fail to have even a wisp of truth to them. They continue to pervade through society even now, giving overactive imaginations something to worry about. Their effects are often far-reaching, particularly in terms of medicine and home remedies, but they can actually become quite dangerous. We'll dispel some of the health myths and also see if the age-old adage is true: Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

A word of advice, though: If you are concerned about your health in any way, don’t rely on what anyone tells you other than your doctor; even then, if you aren’t sure, get a second opinion.

Cold weather will give you a cold

Verdict: False

You’ve been out and got caught in the rain. Shivering and soaked, you feel cold right down to your bones. You’ve plunged into a hot bath as soon as you got home and didn't feel warm till the next day. Somehow you just feel like you’re actually getting ill while it’s happening — but you are wrong.

Both cold and flu are caused by infections, usually by people sneezing or touching their nose with their hands and transferring germs to an object that you then touch (a door handle, for example, or a newspaper). The most common way a cold is transferred is by a handshake. People would argue that when you’re cold, your immune system is less effective at fighting these germs and, thus, you are more likely to catch a cold. But again, this is false. Tests have shown that you are just as likely to pick up a cold in the balmy heat of the tropics as you are in Alaska.

Feed a cold, starve a fever

Verdict: True

The earliest mention of this health myth was way back in 1574, when a dictionary writer named John Withals wrote “Fasting is a great remedie of feuer.” Modern doctors believe the theory was based around food, as fuel warms you up while liquid cools you down from the inside, bringing your temperature down. You’ll probably remember this one from when you were growing up, and it turns out, in this case, that your mom, grandma or aunt was right.

Scientists in Holland in 2002 set up small-scale tests that were based around dietary intake and discovered some interesting results: The different approaches (liquid-only diet, water-only diet and regular food) activated different types of immune cell. That said, doctors now recommend that if you are hungry, you should eat and not starve yourself — and do get yourself checked out by your doc.